Lawmaker questions taxi driver conduct
Davis vows to oppose proposed fare increase until tighter controls are imposed by city
By Brian Meyer
Updated: 06/11/08 6:46 AM
Some taxi drivers are hurting Buffalo’s image by acting like “wild cowboys,” a city lawmaker said Tuesday, and he’s vowing to oppose a fare increase until tighter controls are imposed.
Ellicott Council Member Brian C. Davis said he has heard about brawls among cabbies at taxi stands, drivers who fly through red lights and belligerent operators who refuse to drive customers short treks for fear of missing bigger fares.
“I’m not saying they’re all bad, because we have many very good operators out there,” Davis said. “But some of them act like a bunch of wild cowboys. They have no regard whatsoever.”
When the Council votes later this month to increase taxi rates by 60 cents per mile effective Sept. 1, Davis said, he will oppose the plan. He wants the city to enact new controls that would foster a more “uniform taxi delivery system.”
The changes might include mandating one or two colors for cabs so they can be clearly identified, more conspicuous postings of drivers’ personal identification and possibly more stringent inspections. Davis said some cabs cruising around the city are in deplorable shape.
“This isn’t meant to hurt small business, but we need to make sure our cabs are sending the right message,” Davis said.
Mary Weber has driven a taxi for 22 years, and the independent operator believes the problems are confined to a few “bad apples.”
“If you have a bushel with only three rotten apples in it, are you going to throw away the whole bushel?” she asked.
Weber added it’s unfair to blame independent drivers for all problems, saying the same issues can surface with drivers who work for larger companies.
The Council sent to committee Tuesday an ordinance that would increase the cost of a five-mile cab ride by about 21 percent. Some taxi operators clamored for the fare hike, saying skyrocketing gas prices could spur many cabbies to call it quits.
Davis said there must be a federal solution to soaring fuel costs. He voiced fears that if Buffalo takes a “Band-Aid” approach and approves fare hikes in the taxi industry, it could spur requests from other vendors to revisit contracts, including ambulance providers.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the Council approved a contract that would give raises to nearly 500 white-collar union employees and 120 non-union workers appointed by elected officials. If approved by the control board, the average worker would see raises totaling 17.2 percent through mid-2011, including a 3 percent increase that will be retroactive to last July.
White-collar employees haven’t received raises since 2003, the year before the control board imposed a wage feeze. The panel lifted the freeze last summer.
The contract will cost the city $6.1 million over the life of the agreement. But city officials said the pact also contains some major concessions that will restructure some benefits. Employees will be placed on a lower cost health insurance plan but will not see any changes in coverage. The contract also includes provisions aimed at helping the city hold down overtime.
Union President Michael F. Drennen said the pact was hammered out during 30 bargaining sessions that spanned eight months.
“It was a long and arduous process, and we’re pleased with the process,“ Drennen told lawmakers in an informal meeting shortly before the vote.
While lawmakers unanimously approved the contract, Demone A. Smith of Masten objected to the accompanying salary ordinance amendments. While he stressed that he supports raises for union workers, he said he has concerns about the salaries of some non-union appointees, particularly in some offices controlled by the Council.
